Culinary boiler or steamer.



PATENTE-1D P EB. 4, 1908.

A. B. RICE.

CULINARY BOILER 0R STEAMER.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 15. 190e.

'lill' IIIIIIIIIII.

jij ALFRED B. RICE, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

l CULINARY BOILER OR STEAMER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed June 15.1906. Serial No. 321,838-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFREDB. RICE, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city and county of Racine, in the State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Culinary Boilers orSteamers,'of which I do declare the following to be a full, true, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,forming part of this specification.

The present invention has relation to that class of culinary boilers orsteamers in which the article of food to be cooked or treated is placedwithin an inner vessel that is located within an outer vessel whereinthe steam will be generated.

The object of the invention is primarily to provide an improvedconstruction of apparatus whereby the steaming or cooking of foodproducts may be more effectively accomplislied, and the inventionconsists in the features of construction hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out inthe claims at the end of this specification.

In Letters Patent No. 771,830, granted to me October 11, 1904, there isset forth a culinary boiler or steamer having certain peculiarities ofconstruction and which was especially designed for the steaming ortreatment of fruit in order to more effectively extract the juicestherefrom.

The present invention, while capable of other uses, is also moreparticularly designed for the steaming of fruit, vegetables or the likein order to enable the juices to be extracted therefrom, and one mainpurpose of the invention is to provide a construction of such characterthat the flavors of the fruit will be more effectively retained withinthe juices and will be prevented from so readily escaping to theatmosphere, as was apt to with the construction set forth in my abovementioned patent.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view in centralvertical section through a boiler or steamer embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal cross section on line 2-.-2 of Fig. 1.

A designates the outer casing or boiler that will contain the water orother liquid that is to be converted into steam. The outer boiler orcasing Ais provided with a cover A that may be secured thereto in anysuitable manner, as, for example, by a screwthreaded joint. As shown,the cover A of the boiler A is provided with a stop cock c whereby airmay be admitted to the interior of the vessel A, when required.

Within the boiler A is placed the inner vessel B that is open at its topand has its bottom resting upon legs b that serve to sustain this vesselB above the bottom of the boiler A. The vessel B is considerably smallerin diameter than the boiler A and the space within the boiler A beneaththe bottom of the vessel B and between the side walls of the vessel Band boiler A will serve to receive the water or other liquid that is tobe converted into steam. 4'

Through the cover A1 of the boiler A extends a pipe C, the lower end ofwhich depends to a point at or adjacent the bottom of the vessel B. Asshown, the lower end of the pipe C is formed with open spaces c topermit steam or fluid to enter the pipe O, or the lower end of the pipeC may be simply raised a slight distance above the bottom of the vesselB. Preferably the pipe O is brazed or soldered to the cover A or isconnected thereto in any other convenient manner to form an air tightjoint between these parts. The pipe O is shown as provided with ascrew-'thread at its upper end that may be united by a coupling C with apipe O2 that will lead to any convenient receptacle into which thecontents 'of the vessel- B are to be converted.

As shown, a false bottom D is provided within the vessel B, this falsebottom resting preferably upon lugs d projecting inward from the sidewalls of the vessel B; and the false bottom is perforated and is formedwith a central opening through which the pipe O will pass.

One of the uses to which my present invention has been found to beespecially well adapted, is the extraction of grape juice from grapes,as well as the extraction of juices from fruits and vegetables ofvarious kinds. Assuming the apparatus to be used for such purpose, thegrapes or vegetables from which the juices are to be extracted will beplaced within the vessel B and will rest upon the false bottom D. Theboiler A will then be charged with. water or other liquid to any desiredheight below the top of the vessel B, and the boilerAwill then beexposed to heat sufficient to generate steam from the liquid therein. Asthe steam is generated, it will rise to the top of the boiler A, willpass in the direction of the arrows shown at the top of the vessel Bdown through the contents of the vessel B and finally up through thepipe C, as indicated by the arrows shown upon such pipe in Fig. l of thedrawing. At the begining of the operation the steam will pass quitefreely through the pipe C, but as the fruit or vegetables are thussubjected to the action of the steam, their juices collect within thebottom of the vessel B and serve in a measure to condense the steam asit tends to escape. through the pipe C. The result is that before thesteaming operation is com'- pleted, the juices rise to some distance inthe pipe C. When the fruit or vegetables have been submitted tothesteaming operation for a sufficient length of time, the heat will bereduced so that the liquid within the boiler A will be maintained belowthe boiling point, and the juices will continue to drip through thefalse bottom D of the vessel B and to rise within the pipe C. Butinasmuch as the ipe C has its lower end at such time dipping beneath thesurface of the juice within the bottom of the vessel B, a free escape ofthe vapors from the vessel B is prevented. The result is that duringboth the steaming and the straining or draining operation the freeescape of the vapors is prevented and thus the natural fruit orvegetable ilavors are much more effectively retained within the juicesinthe bottom of the vessel B, than would be possible with any constructionin which a free escape is permitted of the vapors from the fruits orvegetables being treated.

When it is desired to withdraw the juices from the bottom of the vesselB, and particularly if it is desired to bottle the juices withoutexposure to the atmosphere, I prefer that a pipe C2 shall be attached tothe upper end of the discharge pipe C and this pipe C2 will lead to thebottle, demijohn or like receptacle into which the juices are to bedrawn. A vacuum will then be produced in the bottle, demijohn or likereceptacle so as to cause the atmospheric pressure to force the juicesfrom the bottoni of the vessel B up and out through the discharge pipe Cand the pipe C2, and when the liquid contents of the vessel B are thusbeing withdrawn, the cock a in the cover A of the boiler A will beopened, so as to allow air to enter the boiler A.

If desired, a relief valve may be placed I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is iy l. A boiler ofthe character described,comprising an outer casing, an inner vessel of smaller diameter arrangedwithin said outer casing and open at its top, a perforated false bottomwithin the inner -vessel and a discharge pipe leading from beneath` thefalse bottom. of the inner vessel above the open top of said innervessel and through the upper part of the outer casing, said outer casingbeing closed against the escape of steam except through said dischargepipe.

2. A boiler of the character described, comprising an outer casinghaving a cover secured thereto, an inner vessel of smaller diameterarranged within said outer casing and being open at its top, a dischargepipe leading downward through the cover of said outer casing to a pointnear the bottom of the inner vessel and a perforated false bottom withinsaid inner vessel arranged above the lower end of said discharge pipewhereby the steam will pass through the material and whereby the juicesextracted may be withdrawn through said discharge pipe.

3. VA boiler of the character described, comprising an outer casinghaving a cover secured thereto and having a vent cock, an inner vesselof smaller diameter arranged within said outer casing, said inner vesselbeing open at its top to permit the steam to pass downward therethrough,a perforated false bottom within said inner vessel and an open endeddischarge pipe extending from adjacent the bottom of said inner vesselbelow said false bottom up through the cover of said casing and providedwith a coupling to which a pipe may be attached for withdrawing thecontents from the inner' vessel.

ALFRED B. RICE.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. Pnrnon, KATHARINE GERLACH.

